Fiji U17 aims to win remaining matches

After a tough 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the defending champions, Fiji will be out to prove their worth against a Papua New Guinea side still flying high after recording a 3-0 win over Cook Islands in their opener. #Coach Kamal Swamy says he is optimistic his side will do better in the remaining matches.#“Obviously New Zealand is a strong team but “I think we gave the first three goals away by poor defending that is what we were talking about. Once we got numbers in the box they were not able to score even with 10 players we were able to contain certain attacks which we thought was where we were making mistakes.”# #“We’ll go back to the drawing board and try and rectify those mistakes and then come up against our next opponent.”#Fiji showed they had both talent and flair as striker Fazeem Khan created some great chances but the final touch was just lacking, something co-coaches Yogendra Dutt and Kamal Swamy will be keen to work on, along with some of the disciplinary matters that crept in late in the game on Tuesday.#Fiji will be without Afraz Ali who was suspended after receiving a direct red card. Goalkeeper Waisake Ravuiwasa and Shavneel Deo both have a caution apiece. Ravuiwasa will be key if he keeps his cool, with some impressive saves restricting New Zealand to just six goals.#“We’ve still got some other players on the bench that can fill that midfield position that Ali has left vacant. We’ve got options so we will see how it goes, added Swamy.”#Papua New Guinea’s last win over Fiji was a 2-1 victory in 2011 at North Harbour Stadium.#Fiji got the edge over Papua New Guinea in 2013 winning 2-0 on their way to their fourth place finish.#Fiji vs PNG match kicks off at 1pm on Thursday at J.S Blatter Sports Complex in Apia, Samoa.#Fiji Squad List: 1. Biuvanua JOELA [GK], 2. Manumanubai ARAMI, 3. Shalit REDDY, 4. Mkeimi RALULU, 5. Shoel KHAN, 6. Adeel ALI, 7. Fazeem KHAN, 8. Shamron PRASAD, 9. Patrick JOSEPH, 10. Kartik KUMAR, 11. Simeli BATIRATU, 12. Amena BOLAITAMANA, 13. Alvish NAIDU, 15. France CATAROGO, 16. Lino ROSERU, 17. Timoci DOVI, 18. Savneel DEO, 19. Rusiate QIO, 20. Waisake RAVUIWASA [GK]#Avikash Chand#Fiji FA Media#

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About FIJI FA

Fiji was among the founding members of OFC along with Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The nation of around 800,000 has traditionally been one of Oceania best performers – second only to New Zealand in the FIFA rankings for men. The Fiji Football Association (FFA) nurtures hopes of one day toppling the giants in Oceania and qualifying for a FIFA finals competition.